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Blaming the machine isn't always the best solution
GothDom   Advanced OR Member since 3/24/10 Posts: 1904	Login to reply to this post 5 members like this. Date: 1/16/13 12:54 PM So, I decided to try sewing with some stretch power knits. Not at all my normal thing and I have almost no experience with them. Annndd the thread kept getting frayed and snapping. So, I rethreaded and tried again. And then I replaced the bobbin thread and tried again. It got to the point where I was considering dismantling the hook mechanism so that I could check it for burrs or other issues. And then I thought to myself, "Huh, I just made a silk blouse and it went perfectly!" Followed by, "Oh, I should probably switch to a ball point needle" At which point, the machine sewed the powerknit flawlessly... ------ http://www.acdc-vintage.com This one, that one, and a bunch of other ones! (though the herd is getting more streamlined)
Mufffet   Intermediate VT USA Member since 8/14/05 Posts: 8925	Login to reply to this post In reply to GothDom << Like this post Date: 1/16/13 12:56 PM Isn't it amazing? Yes, currently I am having some problems, and I have to say I don't think it is them machine. Would that I would remember all the little and not so little things that can work together to cause problems. GOOD FOR YOU! Glad this worked. Is it your Genie? Such a charming and cute machine. :) ------ "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." --Dalai Lama I have sewing machines
rmusic1 Advanced Beginner UNITED KINGDOM Member since 7/3/10 Posts: 706	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/16/13 12:59 PM I recently posted something similar under "if your machine talks to you its best to listen". Yes, a machine can be a poor machine, but if it has previously sewed reliably I think there is more often than not other guilty culprits at work...glad you found the answer to yours.
Soolip Advanced CA USA Member since 6/18/08 Posts: 2003	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 1/16/13 1:03 PM I'm always rankled by posts about slanted stitches — "should I get a new machine???". It's always the needle-thread-fabric combo, and has nothing whatsoever to do the machine itself.
GothDom   Advanced OR Member since 3/24/10 Posts: 1904	Login to reply to this post 9 members like this. Date: 1/16/13 1:08 PM You would think i would know better... (of course I did once disassemble and reassemble a Featherweight only to find that the problem was I'd put the needle in backwards...) ------ http://www.acdc-vintage.com This one, that one, and a bunch of other ones! (though the herd is getting more streamlined)
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 5000	Login to reply to this post 5 members like this. Date: 1/16/13 1:50 PM OE (operator error) is probably 99.9% of the problem when the sewing is not as great as it should be.
ahrizel Beginner PA Member since 4/22/12 Posts: 295	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 1/16/13 2:54 PM You mean things like putting the needle in backwards in my Necchi? Or not having the bobbin thread pulling across the bobbin-which messes up the tension every time in my Singer? Almost every time rethreading the machine, redoing the bobbin, and putting in a new needle will solve the problem. This assumes of course the correct needle. Or resetting the tension when I've changed it for a previous project. I've been working with the cording foot and it has been a mess, threads catching and a general pain in the butt. Looked at a video online, and the threads went under the foot, not on the top. Threads go under the foot, bingo! no problems. Yes, something can be wrong with the machine. 95% of the time my machine problems are due to my own screwups. One time, my machine needed a tuneup, but it was 20 years overdue for itI agree, before you blame the machine, make sure the operator isn't messing anything up. Mary
mkhpaintsew   Intermediate IN USA Member since 4/5/06 Posts: 164	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 1/16/13 3:25 PM I often forget what needle I have in the machine. I put a small piece of blue painter's tape on the front with the kind and size of the needle. It's not exactly pretty, but it keeps me aware of my needles. Of course it doesn't help if you don't remember to look at the tape. :)
LaurenEmme   Advanced Beginner CA USA Member since 9/13/11 Posts: 173	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/16/13 3:28 PM Then there's my mom who had me look at her machine because it was making a terrible noise and constant thread nests. So I took the bobbin case out and in addition to the crazy amount of lint I cleaned out, I also removed the tip of a needle that had broken off and was jammed in the case. Showed it to my mom and she said "oh yeah, I broke a needle not long ago". Guess she wasn't concerned with where the broken needle tip ended up! ------ Bernina 330 BabyLock Ellure Plus BLR3 BabyLock Imagine Singer 221 Singer 237 converted to treadle Singer 27 treadle
RipStitcher Intermediate Member since 5/28/12 Posts: 1404	Login to reply to this post In reply to LaurenEmme << Like this post Date: 1/16/13 5:23 PM Quote: LaurenEmme Then there's my mom who had me look at her machine because it was making a terrible noise and constant thread nests. So I took the bobbin case out and in addition to the crazy amount of lint I cleaned out, I also removed the tip of a needle that had broken off and was jammed in the case. Showed it to my mom and she said "oh yeah, I broke a needle not long ago". Guess she wasn't concerned with where the broken needle tip ended up! Good thing she has *you*! I just had a terrible noise come out of the 7700... and as soon as it started, I stopped and took the bobbin case out, etc etc.... and boy oh boy... I found the mother of all dust bunnies in there... with one tiny piece of foam looking something-or-another (had to have been a tiny piece of stabilizer I used in a recent bag) ... and once that was out, the machine was back to bein' happy. Oh.. and that foam piece was tiny-tiny ... as in about half the size of a small glass head on a quilting pin. ------ nightowlsally.com On my radar someday: Babylock Serger, and some machine for travel. My dearest wish is to have Bernina come out with a machine that doesn't give me a reason to *not* buy it. 2012: New Elna Lotus (mostly for granddaughter), Red Elna Press, Horizon 7700, Gidget 2 Table, Babylock Ellisimo Gold 1970's: Elna SU62 & ElnaPress

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